The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the document from Natsuhiko, a bad premonition began rising in his heart.
And when he heard Natsuhiko's words, his heart instantly sank.
But once he truly saw the names and clans written on the list, it felt as though his entire body had fallen into an icy abyss.
What was this?
The document was titled Great Purge Plan.
In Hiruzen's opinion, however, it should have been called a massacre instead!
If he truly acted against the people and clans listed by Natsuhiko, Konoha would lose at least a thousand people.
Ever since his former followers had united to oppose Natsuhiko, Hiruzen had already guessed their ending would not be pleasant.
But Natsuhiko's retaliation came far too quickly.
And far too ruthlessly.
It was as though he held no concerns whatsoever.
But did he truly not care how much damage this would bring to Konoha?
Even though Hiruzen was no longer Hokage, he still had to consider Konoha's future carefully.
The reason he had chosen to peacefully shift his allegiance toward Natsuhiko was precisely because he did not want internal chaos and conflict to erupt within the village again.
The reason he convinced the Sarutobi Clan to support Natsuhiko was not only because his sharp political instincts allowed him to see through the essence of Natsuhiko's reforms—
It was also because he did not want Konoha to suffer major upheaval.
Hiruzen understood perfectly well that Natsuhiko's current methods would indeed eliminate unstable elements within Konoha.
He could already guess what his former followers would most likely attempt to do.
But in his eyes, this matter was not beyond negotiation or compromise.
Politics itself was the art of language and compromise.
If Natsuhiko had sent him to negotiate with those people and was willing to offer some tangible benefits, the issue could still have been resolved peacefully.
Of course, if Natsuhiko insisted on doing things this way, that was his choice.
But the problem was—
Konoha no longer had enough talent reserves.
In terms of combat personnel, Konoha certainly had no shortage.
After all, the village was fundamentally a military organization.
To put it more bluntly, the entire village itself was an enormous and precise war machine.
But administrative talent was truly lacking.
During Hiruzen's many years in office, he had at least cultivated quite a number of administrators.
They could not necessarily be called exceptional, but at the very least, they were capable of carrying out orders from above.
But now, after Natsuhiko's reforms, Konoha's reserves had essentially been emptied out completely.
Not only had he directly removed a large number of former personnel, but he had also exhausted Konoha's backup talent pool in one stroke.
At first, removing those people had not been a major issue.
At the very least, they were still alive, and perhaps they could have been reused someday.
But now that Natsuhiko had raised the butcher's blade, Konoha would truly lose its remaining reserve of capable personnel!
"Hokage...-sama."
Hiruzen spoke with great difficulty, but after taking a deep breath, he quickly calmed his emotions.
"I hope you'll reconsider this matter. After all, Konoha currently—"
"Don't worry. The coming days may be difficult for Konoha, but at the very least, there won't be any unstable elements left."
Naturally, Natsuhiko understood exactly what Hiruzen wanted to say.
But he had no intention of giving anyone another chance.
"Third Hokage, I'm leaving this matter to you. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Likewise, Natsuhiko gave Hiruzen no opportunity to continue speaking.
The reason he had kept Hiruzen around in the first place was partly out of a desire for this exact kind of revenge.
Originally, he had still intended to somewhat restrain the blade in his hand.
But now? He had no intention of restraining himself anymore.
After all, if Hiruzen was the one personally carrying out the purge, what did it have to do with Natsuhiko?
"Department Head Shikaku, there are two matters I need to discuss with you."
Without even glancing at Hiruzen's pale expression, Natsuhiko directly turned toward Nara Shikaku and spoke calmly.
"First, regarding the negotiations with Kumogakure—I want them to hand over the Two-Tails' chakra this time."
"The Two-Tails' chakra?"
Nara Shikaku immediately nodded upon hearing that.
Truthfully, even he felt somewhat alarmed at the moment.
Even without seeing the list Natsuhiko had handed to Hiruzen, just from Hiruzen's expression and the exchange between the two men, Shikaku could already determine one thing with absolute certainty—
Something major was about to happen in Konoha.
And it would definitely be the kind of major event that left countless people dead.
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
After all, anyone would feel uncomfortable facing something like this.
Still, he also understood that those people had undoubtedly crossed Natsuhiko's bottom line.
And he knew they were very likely preparing to take action themselves.
But Natsuhiko's method was truly vicious.
Making the Third Hokage personally deal with them was enough to show just how strong the Fifth Hokage's sense of vengeance really was.
"I understand. I'll add that condition into the negotiation terms, and I'll make sure they comply."
Shikaku steadied himself before immediately agreeing without even asking why.
"And the second matter," Natsuhiko continued calmly, "in the coming days, the ANBU will release information collected about certain individuals' suspicious activities through the newspaper agency. As the Head of Administration, you'll need to cooperate as well."
He paused briefly before continuing,
"I know what concerns you have. But I'm not Danzō. I won't act recklessly... though I also won't show mercy."
It seemed as though Natsuhiko was trying to reassure Shikaku.
Or perhaps he was trying to stabilize Hiruzen's emotions.
Either way, he calmly revealed the second matter.
Natsuhiko truly was not the kind of person Shimura Danzō had been.
Although he intended to act, he would also give everyone an explanation for why he acted.
Human nature was simply like that.
Natsuhiko had long since analyzed human psychology thoroughly, and his years in the ANBU had only deepened that understanding.
Because of that, he always approached himself with caution.
Even if he could not remain perfectly rational and objective at all times, he still valued methods, process, and justification in the things he did.
Moreover, he had consistently built himself an image of being sunny, calm, and approachable.
Naturally, he would not allow that image to collapse for no reason.
He understood very clearly that within Konoha, his strength alone already allowed him to overshadow everyone.
But the gentler and more reasonable he appeared, the easier many things became.
Conversely, the more tyrannical and unrestrained he acted, the more instinctive resistance he would provoke from others.
Natsuhiko still had no idea how to return to Earth. Since he would likely remain in this world indefinitely, he could not afford to act recklessly.
What he needed was a vibrant Konoha capable of fulfilling his system missions—not a village where he casually eliminated and suppressed every opposing voice without justification, completely castrating the spirit and vitality of the ninja world.
If that were the case, then Natsuhiko felt he might as well imitate the Ōtsutsuki and hang everyone from the Divine Tree directly.
Not only would that be more convenient, but he might even obtain more Seeds that way.
"I understand."
As expected, after hearing those words, Shikaku revealed a slight smile.
The overwhelming fear and reverence he had displayed earlier also disappeared considerably.
"I'll cooperate fully, Hokage-sama."
"Good." Natsuhiko nodded lightly and revealed a faint smile as well.
His gaze swept across both Hiruzen and Shikaku before he spoke once more.
"As for the final matter, I'll need both you and the Third Hokage to cooperate together."
"Although the jonin reforms have only just ended and we're still waiting to see the results, I believe both of you understand that these reforms are beneficial for Konoha."
"And personally, I don't believe these reforms will fail."
Natsuhiko's tone remained calm throughout.
Neither Hiruzen nor Shikaku showed any intention of refuting him.
After all, the jonin reforms granted Konoha's jonin enormous authority and benefits.
From a military perspective alone, the advantages to Konoha were undeniable.
Broadly speaking, jonin were second only to the Kage themselves.
Every one of them could technically be considered a "candidate for Hokage."
Of course, they all understood perfectly well that this status only existed on paper.
Because in reality, Hokage were never chosen from among ordinary jonin like them.
Regardless, this alone was enough to prove just how important jonin truly were.
Especially since both the number and quality of jonin directly determined the strength of a hidden village.
The strength of a village could generally be divided into several factors.
First and foremost were the top-tier combat forces.
Setting aside monsters like Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and now Natsuhiko himself, Konoha's traditional top-level combat representatives had once been figures like the Legendary Sannin and Sakumo Hatake.
Any one of them alone could be considered a strategic weapon.
And when integrated into a large military force, they also became the best possible commanders.
Especially during massive battlefield clashes, they were responsible for dealing with the enemy's own top-tier combatants.
Below them came the jonin.
Jonin could lead various military units, and their strength made them irreplaceable in both large-scale wars and smaller conflicts.
The stronger they were, the more morale they could inspire.
The more capable their command abilities, the more effectively they could lead the village to victory.
Because of that, the importance of jonin could hardly be overstated. Even the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake had once merely been jonin themselves—they were simply far stronger than ordinary jonin.
By directly opening Konoha's ninjutsu reserves to all jonin, Natsuhiko was undoubtedly raising their individual strength tremendously.
And by granting them corresponding political authority as well, he was further stimulating their motivation and ambition.
It was easy to imagine just how powerful Konoha's jonin would become in the future.
Even though Natsuhiko's actions were currently weakening the prestige of the clan ninja system, every clan supporting him clearly understood one thing—this reform was still incomplete.
After all, this was a reform imposed from the top down, not a revolution rising from the bottom up.
As one of the major clan factions themselves, the Senju naturally intended to preserve their long-term advantages.
Even if the clans were being weakened now, their accumulated foundations still made it relatively easy for them to maintain their standing in the future.
And even if one generation declined temporarily, under this relatively fair environment, they would still have opportunities to rise again later.
So how could they possibly oppose these reforms?
As for those who opposed them—
If they merely voiced disagreement, that would have been one thing.
But if they attempted anything further...
Then the list Natsuhiko had handed to the Third Hokage—and the events soon to follow—would become the perfect warning example.
That was why neither Hiruzen nor Shikaku could refute Natsuhiko when he said the reforms would not fail.
Because reforms like these were destined to succeed.
"So for the jonin reforms, all we need to do now is monitor the situation and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Natsuhiko lightly smiled as he looked at the two silent men before him. His fingers tapped softly against the desk as he continued,
"What we need to focus on now are Konoha's other problems."
"I understand why the Third Hokage opposes the purge plan. You're worried that Konoha lacks enough administrative talent now, correct?"
The two men merely nodded silently.
Natsuhiko continued calmly,
"I admit that my reforms, departmental restructuring, and mass personnel removals have caused issues with Konoha's talent reserves."
"So naturally, our next step is to address that issue directly."
"And ideally, we should coordinate it together with the chunin and genin reforms."
There was no way Natsuhiko would touch the jonin system further.
Jonin were already fully developed elites who possessed excellent capabilities across all areas.
Truthfully, becoming a jonin in Konoha had always been extremely difficult.
Just the study materials Naruto had needed for the jonin examination in Natsuhiko's memories were enough to make his scalp go numb.
The reason people like Minato Namikaze, Tsunade, and Kakashi Hatake had been able to directly become Hokage candidates was not merely due to political compromise, Konoha's reshuffling, or outside factors like having a "savior" teacher.
Another major reason was because every one of them had passed Konoha's strict jonin evaluation system.
A jonin needed extensive theoretical knowledge.
They needed powerful individual combat ability.
More importantly, they needed sufficient management experience and enough military achievements to their name.
Without all those qualifications combined, no amount of external circumstances would ever have been enough to make them Hokage candidates.
If you had not even passed the jonin evaluation, lacked the necessary experience, and possessed no achievements to prove yourself—
Then what right would you have to even receive consideration for election?
In truth, Natsuhiko himself was not an exception either.
As someone raised within the ANBU, nobody could possibly question his theoretical knowledge.
As for management ability, Natsuhiko had already proven his excellence long ago.
From ordinary squad member to team captain, then division commander, and finally Commander of the ANBU—every step had demonstrated his outstanding leadership capabilities.
And combined with the "aura farming" he had done during the war against Kumogakure, it could be said that he fully satisfied every possible requirement.
So even though he came from the ANBU and technically lacked an official ninja rank certification, nobody could question his qualifications.
Jonin were already comprehensive enough as they were.
If Natsuhiko chose to meddle with them further now, he would simply be an idiot.
Compared to jonin—ninjas who had already reached the peak of the shinobi world—chunin and genin possessed far greater potential for development.
Especially genin.
Their plasticity was the highest of all because they were still young.
"I believe that future reforms for chunin and genin should include specialized development programs."
"For example, there are people who are highly intelligent but lack combat talent. We should establish specialized courses for them. Those individuals could absolutely be cultivated into capable administrative personnel."
"Of course, if their strength fails to meet the requirements, they still should not receive the rank of jonin."
"But we can establish corresponding administrative ranks and offices within each department."
"That way, these non-combat administrative ninjas will still have something to strive toward. It will motivate them to work harder, study harder, and continuously improve themselves."
"Likewise, there are people with poor chakra control or weak overall performance, but who possess extraordinary talent in taijutsu."
"Those people should not be buried either."
"During evaluations, we can relax the theoretical requirements somewhat and let them find their own ways to pass certain necessary examinations. As long as they meet the standards, there's no reason they can't be granted the rank of jonin."
Natsuhiko's words immediately caused both Hiruzen and Shikaku to fall into deep thought.
Especially Hiruzen, whose brows tightly furrowed.
It was not that he believed Natsuhiko's methods were bad.
Rather, he suddenly realized that perhaps he himself had always been shackled by the rigid definition of what a "ninja" was supposed to be.
He had never considered things from this perspective before.
He had always trained ninjas according to the traditional image of what a ninja should be.
After all, this world had no sages who taught concepts like "teaching students according to their aptitude."
Even though expanding the scale of ninja education could barely be considered an early form of equal education, Hiruzen knew very well just how brutal the Ninja Academy's elimination rate truly was.
And he also knew exactly how difficult life became for those children whose talents were not outstanding enough after graduation.
Letting out a faint sigh, Hiruzen genuinely felt admiration toward Natsuhiko.
The young man's creativity and imagination were simply beyond his own.
Perhaps he truly had grown old.
As for the idea of creating specialized ranks for administrative ninjas, Hiruzen also found it surprisingly reasonable.
If specialized educational tracks were established from childhood onward, and large numbers of administrative-oriented ninja were carefully selected and cultivated, then Konoha's shortage of administrative talent could naturally be resolved.
And once those people entered various government positions, their compensation and benefits would naturally be quite good.
After all, especially during peacetime, the workload of administrative personnel was sometimes even greater than that of frontline ninja.
Moreover, most of those people would likely never become jonin anyway.
After all, while Natsuhiko had greatly increased the authority and benefits of jonin, he had also imposed harsh new requirements and restrictions on the rank.
Even many talented combat ninja might not necessarily qualify anymore, let alone those lacking sufficient combat strength.
Therefore, establishing a separate administrative ninja ranking system and improving their compensation and benefits through other means was absolutely the correct decision.
As for Natsuhiko's second proposal, Hiruzen approved of it as well.
After all, Konoha had once produced someone like Might Duy.
Even now, Hiruzen still vividly remembered the shock he felt upon receiving reports from the battlefield that Might Duy had nearly annihilated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by himself.
That man had displayed utterly terrifying combat power.
Yet until the day he died, he had remained nothing more than a genin, constantly mocked and looked down upon by others.
Taijutsu specialists truly could not be underestimated.
If such ninja received more professional training and successfully passed the necessary theoretical examinations, then there was no reason they could not become jonin as well.
However, if that happened, then the position of Special Jonin would become somewhat awkward and redundant.
After all, Special Jonin were ninja who specialized in a particular field to the level of a jonin, but whose overall abilities had not fully reached true jonin standards.
If taijutsu specialists were now openly allowed to become jonin, then what exactly would happen to those Special Jonin?
And beyond that—
How would their compensation, benefits, and status be differentiated afterward?
After all, if failing the jonin evaluation resulted in demotion, then the punishment needed to be significant enough to clearly establish the gap between jonin and lower ranks.
But if the difference between Special Jonin and actual jonin was too small, then would such punishment even have any meaning?
"Hokage-sama, I fully support your proposal."
Before Hiruzen could say anything, Shikaku spoke first, though his tone remained somewhat cautious.
"There's just one issue. How do you intend to handle the Special Jonin system?"
"And aside from taijutsu specialists, Konoha also has many ninja who specialize in other fields as well. They—"
"Of course I know that."
Natsuhiko smiled lightly, fully aware that Shikaku was not stupid enough to ask meaningless questions.
He simply wanted further clarification.
"The taijutsu example was only a special case. After all, one of my classmates is Might Guy, and I know the story of his father, Might Duy."
"In the future, any ninja in Konoha with outstanding specialized talents can also become jonin as long as they pass the evaluations and their overall abilities meet the standards."
"And similarly, they must also enjoy the authority and benefits granted to jonin."
"But at the same time, they must fulfill the obligations required of jonin as well."
"As for demotion evaluations, we'll continue using a formal assessment system."
"In addition to the necessary theoretical examinations, there will also be evaluations based on mission completion, leadership performance, training results, and related achievements."
"You'll handle those matters. I trust you can do it."
"As for the Special Jonin system..."
When the topic reached Special Jonin, even Natsuhiko felt somewhat troubled.
After all, Konoha actually had quite a large number of Special Jonin.
And during Hiruzen's era, the Special Jonin title had not only been used for ninja who excelled in certain fields while lacking comprehensive qualifications despite possessing combat strength close to jonin level—
It had also frequently been used as a consolation prize for chunin who performed decently despite lacking sufficient overall strength.
But now, having Special Jonin stuck awkwardly between chunin and jonin created a real problem.
Natsuhiko wanted to elevate the prestige of jonin in order to stimulate everyone's ambition.
That meant the gap between chunin and jonin absolutely could not be too small.
Yet the existence of Special Jonin essentially created a comfortable middle ground—
A position suspended awkwardly between advancement and stagnation.
For someone like Natsuhiko, who wanted everyone working hard nonstop, desperately striving either to improve themselves or preserve their status—as if the entire village were collectively working "007" schedules (working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)—the existence of such a comfort zone was truly headache-inducing.
Although Natsuhiko had granted jonin tremendous political authority, not every jonin cared about politics.
Some jonin never believed they could rise any higher anyway, nor did they have any interest in entering administrative departments.
The only thing they cared about was improving their own strength.
If the difference between Special Jonin and true jonin became too small—especially if the only distinction was lacking political authority—then a large number of jonin might simply choose to remain comfortably at that level instead.
"How about... we just abolish it entirely?"
Just as Natsuhiko was starting to feel a headache coming on, Hiruzen suddenly spoke up.
"The Special Jonin rank was originally created by me."
"In truth, its original purpose wasn't too different from what Hokage-sama is trying to achieve now."
"But since Hokage-sama already has a better plan, the necessity of this position has naturally begun to decline. Therefore—"
"Good idea!"
Before Hiruzen could even finish speaking, Natsuhiko suddenly stood up and interrupted him directly.
"Seriously, keeping it around is just troublesome."
"It's difficult to properly control resource allocation, and it's also difficult to maintain a clear enough gap between it and true jonin."
"In that case, we might as well abolish it completely and allow Konoha to retain only the original three-tier ninja ranking system."
"Since the Third Hokage has already proposed the idea, I'll have Department Head Shikaku assist you with the implementation. I'll leave this matter to you as well."
As soon as he finished speaking, Natsuhiko immediately turned toward Sora, who was recording everything nearby.
"Remember this. Coordinate with the newspaper office and announce that the Third Hokage proposed abolishing the Special Jonin position and has already begun drafting the plan. Understood?"
"???"
The moment Hiruzen heard those words, his entire body stiffened.
Only then did he realize—
He probably should never have opened his mouth in the first place...
Honestly, Hiruzen Sarutobi was incredibly useful.
At this point, Natsuhiko was genuinely glad he had kept the old man around.
Even if Hiruzen's way of thinking and handling administration was completely different from his own, that did not diminish his capabilities in the slightest.
After all, the man had served as Hokage for decades.
And Natsuhiko had also discovered something interesting—
Hiruzen was gradually becoming somewhat similar to Danzo under his command.
Not in the sense that he possessed enormous authority or secretly controlled military forces within Konoha.
There was no chance Natsuhiko would ever allow Hiruzen to become another "Shinobi of Darkness."
But as someone to throw out and take the blame? He was absurdly effective.
Without even realizing it, Hiruzen had already become destined to shoulder two massive black pots for Natsuhiko.
The first was the inevitable "Great Purge" that would soon sweep through Konoha.
Natsuhiko had already planned this long ago.
Originally, if those people had merely opposed him during the meeting, he would only have dealt with a select few.
But now, they were clearly beginning to scheme behind the scenes and prepare to take action.
At that point, Natsuhiko had no intention of sparing any of them.
Of course, judging from his original plans, the final outcome would probably not have differed much anyway.
The only difference was—
They had personally handed him the perfect excuse.
As the saying went, timing your attacks well was good, but nothing was better than your opponent voluntarily walking into your combo.
And clearly, those people had delivered the opening straight into Natsuhiko's hands.
If he failed to capitalize on that opportunity, he would be letting himself down.
And having Hiruzen personally carry out the operation also counted as Natsuhiko finally repaying the debt from years ago, when Hiruzen had suppressed both the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
After all, Natsuhiko himself had once belonged to the Senju clan.
Even if his sense of belonging to the clan was weak, he should still have received the benefits that came with being born into such a family.
Unfortunately, he had simply been born in the wrong era.
Not only had he received absolutely none of those advantages, but he had nearly been sent to the battlefield at the age of seven or eight.
Of course, his eventual outcome had not been much better either.
Instead, he had been shoved directly into the ANBU.
It could be said that his childhood in this world had been anything but pleasant.
He had bottled up that resentment for a very long time.
If he truly possessed no desire for revenge whatsoever, that would honestly be stranger.
Even if he could understand Hiruzen's perspective—
Even if he openly admitted that, standing in Hiruzen's position, he himself would probably have acted even more ruthlessly—
Revenge was still revenge.
The victor became king while the loser became a criminal. There was nothing more to say.
After all, losers never truly had the right to speak.
As for the second black pot—
That naturally concerned the abolition of the Special Jonin system.
Eliminating the Special Jonin rank would absolutely trigger enormous controversy, especially now that there were no other major events capable of diverting public attention within Konoha.
Even though the village was still buzzing over the Fifth Hokage's inauguration and the negotiations with Kumogakure—
Those matters alone were not enough to completely distract the large number of Special Jonin within Konoha.
Which meant an appropriate scapegoat was extremely necessary.
And coincidentally enough, Hiruzen had personally proposed the idea himself.
Since that was the case, there was no reason for Natsuhiko to be polite about it.
Honestly, he could not think of a single reason to show restraint
...
After Hiruzen left the office with a darkened expression, Sora immediately began mobilizing the newspaper office to spread the news.
And by the very next day—
Konoha exploded into chaos.
At that point, however, Natsuhiko had already chosen to bury his head like an ostrich, pretending he knew nothing about the situation.
At the same time, he summoned Kakashi and instructed him to begin searching for certain ancient ruins.
Kakashi found Natsuhiko's request rather baffling, but now that Natsuhiko had already become Hokage, there was naturally no way he would refuse the order.
Thinking about it now, the whole situation had been rather interesting.
When Kakashi first learned that Konoha was going to hold a new Hokage election, he had been completely stunned.
He immediately contacted Minato Namikaze, only for Minato to tell him personally that he truly could no longer continue managing Konoha.
Not only that, but Minato also expressed tremendous trust in Natsuhiko.
He believed Natsuhiko could lead Konoha properly, and he hoped Kakashi would cooperate with him just as they had during their time in the ANBU.
After receiving that answer, Kakashi had fallen silent for quite some time before finally giving Minato a firm reply.
But what he truly had not expected was that the moment Natsuhiko left the ANBU and officially became Hokage, the entire ANBU would be dumped directly onto his shoulders.
Even worse—
When Natsuhiko left, he also took away the two secretaries who had been helping manage everything.
That alone had nearly made Kakashi cry from stress.
Fortunately, he had already served as a division commander for several years and had also spent a long time learning under Natsuhiko.
As chaotic and overwhelming as things initially were, he eventually managed to adapt to the role of ANBU Commander.
After a period of frantic adjustment, Kakashi had finally started moving in the right direction.
"I understand. I'll handle it properly, Hokage-sama," Kakashi nodded, signaling that he understood the assignment. Then he suddenly paused before speaking again. "Also... I never had the chance to congratulate you before. Congratulations on becoming the Fifth Hokage."
"Thanks."
Natsuhiko smiled and nodded before standing up and patting Kakashi on the shoulder.
"And congratulations to you as well for becoming the ANBU Commander."
"Forget it. Honestly, I'd rather leave the ANBU already." Kakashi sighed softly. "But judging by the current situation, it seems I won't be leaving anytime soon."
"No need to rush. You'll get the opportunity eventually."
Natsuhiko chuckled lightly.
"I think once the Fourth Hokage returns, I can arrange for you to move into a position you actually want."
"What do you think about becoming a jonin instructor in the future?"
"That would honestly be perfect."
The visible crescent shape of Kakashi's exposed eye curved pleasantly.
"The ANBU is just too depressing. But at the same time... it's also too important."
There was no need to elaborate on how oppressive the ANBU environment was.
Having spent so many years there himself, Natsuhiko probably had more right than anyone else to comment on it.
The only reason he always seemed relaxed was because he had long since become accustomed to it.
Kakashi, however, had only been in the ANBU for three or four years at most, and his promotions had come at rocket-like speed.
Natsuhiko suspected that what Kakashi felt was not merely oppression—
But also overwhelming pressure.
Still, there were not many people Natsuhiko could both use effectively and trust completely.
For that reason, he truly had no intention of letting Kakashi leave just yet.
"Oh, right, Hokage-sama."
After finishing that topic, Kakashi suddenly frowned slightly before continuing.
"The Third Hokage came to the ANBU yesterday. He requested authority to mobilize ANBU personnel."
"Oh?"
Natsuhiko froze briefly upon hearing that, but he quickly nodded.
"Cooperate with him. He has something important to take care of."
"I see. Understood."
Kakashi nodded quietly before sighing once more.
"I just hope that after this... Konoha can finally settle down."
"It will."
Natsuhiko answered calmly and confidently.
"It definitely will."
...
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